TODDVILLE, MD - The Chesapeake Bay is facing a challenging summer, with the spring rain that dumped on Delmarva potentially contributing to the expansion of dead zones within the bay. Dead zones are areas of water that lack sufficient oxygen to support marine and plant life, often resulting in mass die-offs.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay this year are expected to be about 4% larger than normal numbers. However, the situation could be worse. The EPA attributes the increase to various factors, including stormwater runoff from urban and agricultural areas.
Efforts to combat this issue are underway. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) has been actively working to mitigate the impact of dead zones by planting green spaces to absorb runoff. Gussie Maguire, a Maryland staff scientist with the CBF, explains the cause of the problem: “When we have rainfall, anything that is on the surface of the land can wash into our waterways and pollute the water. We get things like trash, oil and grease on roadways, fertilizer from lawns, and farm fields.”
The Delmarva Peninsula experienced a particularly rainy spring, exacerbating the problem. Tim Robinson, a local crabber and oysterman, has noticed an increase in dead zones this year and over the years. “We're having problems with dead zones where there’s more of it. Years ago, when I started crabbing with my father, the only time we would see it was occasionally with a northeast wind. Now, we can get it with any kind of wind because there are patches of it everywhere,” Robinson says.
A hot, dry summer like the current one can further exacerbate the issue. “The increased temperature does contribute to the growth of algae,” Maguire notes. Algal blooms can deplete oxygen levels in the water, leading to dead zones.
Despite the dryness, Robinson hopes for some rain, albeit in manageable amounts. “Where we had the problem is when it's 5 or 6 inches at a time. If we just get a half-inch, inch, we need some rain. Everything is dry, so we need some rain. If we had an inch at a time, that’s not going to do much harm; that soaks into the ground,” he says.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation emphasizes that planting vegetation to absorb rainfall can help prevent dead zones by reducing runoff. The EPA is expected to release its official report on this year's dead zones in the early fall.